NFL Stadium Designers Battle to Win $3B Chiefs Project

As a stadium development boom across the NFL gains more speed, the Chiefs are looking right in their own backyard to advance their newly approved project in Kansas. 

The Chiefs have selected Manica Architecture and Populous, both based in the Kansas City area, as the finalists to design a $3 billion domed stadium in Kansas. The team completed a large-scale deal with Kansas officials just before Christmas for the forthcoming facility, as well as a separate team headquarters, and will leave Arrowhead Stadium in 2031. 

NFL and Euro Soccer Backgrounds

The final decision on a stadium designer, expected in the spring, will be a highly anticipated one between two major entities of sports architecture. Manica designed the forthcoming stadium in Nashville for the Titans, as well as the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium and a wide array of other facilities in the NBA and European soccer. The firm also developed prior renderings for a potential Chiefs stadium that were circulated in 2024, but are not part of the team’s current review process.

Populous, meanwhile, has more than four decades of experience and has a particularly outsized role in establishing sports architecture as a serious and large-scale business with Kansas City as its unofficial capital. The firm has a wide range of major facilities in its recent portfolio, including the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium, the Sphere in Las Vegas, and, like Manica, a large collection of European soccer stadiums.

“The Kansas City region is the central hub of global sports and entertainment venue architecture and design, so we didn’t need to go far to identify the top options to explore final concepts for the future home of Chiefs Kingdom,” said team president Mark Donovan in a statement. 

Both the forthcoming Chiefs stadium, to be located in Wyandotte County, Kansas, and the separate team facility in Olathe, Kansas, will have surrounding mixed-use developments. The current review process for the lead stadium designer does not include the Chiefs’ headquarters.

The selection of Manica and Populous as designer finalists advanced a review process that included dozens of other interested firms, both in and out of Kansas City. 

Around the League

The Chiefs, looking to rebound from an ugly 6–11 season that included a season-ending injury to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, have plenty of company in their plan to build a new stadium.

The Bills will open the new Highmark Stadium in time for the 2026 NFL season, while the new Titans facility will follow next year. The Commanders recently released a well-received set of renderings for their forthcoming domed stadium, recalling their former home, RFK Stadium, in many ways. The Browns are pushing to break ground early this year on a $2.4 billion stadium and mixed-use development in suburban Brook Park, Ohio. The Bears have created a bidding war between Illinois and Indiana over their future home. The Broncos intend to open a retractable-roof facility in 2031. 

Several other NFL teams, notably the Eagles, are actively assessing what to do with their facilities. 

Though several of these teams, and others in the NFL, have modern venues with a distinct multipurpose feel, the Chiefs are insistent on maintaining a true football vibe at the forthcoming stadium.